[Amrit@wheels]

When I was 15, I used to spend hours watching videos of supercars. Now I am 25, I spend hours reading stuff on Team-bhp about our common cars. Can't remember the last time I deliberately looked up for a supercar.

[SmartCat]

Unlike most car enthusiasts, I was never into supercars or 500 BHP SUVs. My idea of a droolworthy car is this




I even mentioned this on my 'Know Your Moderators' bio:

Originally Posted by SmartCat

I'm NOT a traditional car enthusiast though. I would rather read about or watch video reviews of Bajaj Qute/ Tata Nano/Renault Lodgy than Lamborghini Hurracan Performante/Koeinigsegg XXX. Cars that are accessible to everybody and solve problems.

[OffRoadFun]

No. As many mentioned, its technology may be.

With technology advancement and its democratization, I feel automakers are mostly chasing paper records by beating others by a few tenths of seconds which matter ONLY on paper. Difficult for even an enthusiast to figure out the difference even on a close track, lesser mortals on "normal" roads have no chance. And ZERO chance on Indian roads.

May be it will ruffle feathers, but owning them is only for style statement in a country like India in my opinion.

The sweet spot of that acceleration driven kicks is a 0-100 time of 3.5 -7 seconds for almost everyone and thankfully its within reach of a lot of people today. Beyond that bang for the buck is really exponentially low.

A BMW 330i today is faster than a Porsche 911 a few decades ago. BMW 340i? Probably faster than supercars of that era.
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...d-test-review/

My 2.0T Q5 (tuned) today is faster than fastest SUV in the world (Mercedes ML55 AMG) of 2000.
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...benz-ml55-amg/

We live in Golden age of automobiles and thankfully many have opportunity to get the kick without owning that super car.

But yes, I will always stare at them if one passes by me. But owning (even if I could)? NO.

[Mach_1590]

Voted No.

I had interest in supercars till Nissan R35 GTR era, post that my interest kept declining. Supercars to me are totally undesirable in this day and age. Even if I had that kind of money to splurge, I would buy something like M340i and call it a day. Now, for example, I rather get excited by the launch of Hyundai's 160ps 1.5L engine or a Maruti Jimny.

P.S. If I absolutely want to go 0-100 kmph in 3 seconds, 600 to 1000cc motorcycles are available at fraction of a price of supercar.

[100Kmphormore]

Voted for no.
Was a fan of the Lambos and Ferraris especially the Gallardo and the F40. but slowly got hooked on to performance sedans like the BMW M5, Audi RS5 etc that actually let people use that fraction of the performance. It’s the same with the bikes too, my reading is more of road based use cases starting from even a normal 150 cc motorcycle. No bias in terms of price, cc or appeal. I love a motorcycle/car for what it does best and ones that we can atleast access.

[lemedico]

Once upon a time we had not got youtube or tv on demand. We could only see these machines on Sunday when Clarkson came on the telly. We also didn't see much on the roads of a not very posh b-town in England and hence these cars were an exciting enigma.

Now we are bombarded with images and videos, which dilutes the excitement. Also a bit murdered by the fact that an income is hard to earn and harder to save. The aspirations to own one is negative but to be thrilled to sit in one, once in a while still lives on.

[Amey Kulkarni]

Voted NO!

Been There Done That!

I’ve owned Superbikes and a Supercar and exploited their usages on tracks as well. Appended images of the beauts.

Verdict : The Superbikes are another level. You need lots of grit to ride them. Supercars are good to see on the wall or parked outside a Cafe. Period!



Cheers
Amey

[GeeTee TSI]

The poll more than struck a chord with me as I reflected back and with a sigh, voted 'Sometimes' - that too only because Porsche still tugs at my heart strings.

I think middle age tastes have made me veer towards well engineered, practical machines than exotic ones (and no, I don't have supercar wallpapers, screensavers anymore) with accessible performance in India being the main factor.

In the last decade I have been driving my own car(s) quite a bit; which has been about the first hand experience, rather than reading trivia about hypercars. Perhaps another reason why arcade / racing games also fell behind in preference.

When I come across that (rare) young car nut, my interest level gets a spike in those conversations

[RMN]

Yes, because the pleasure of driving a sports car/supercar was never just about the 0-60 timings.

[RaceCyborg]

Pretty interesting thread. Looks like most people in the thread seem to agree that they have lost interest in supercars. Yes, it does seem that the emotional factor when looking at most supercars today have waned. The rat race to score the least 0-100 times, huge horsepower numbers, crazy torque figures and so on have turned supercars into a numbers game.

I still love supercars though, even today. The Porsche 911 GT3 models still pull my heart strings. And, if the new supercars turned boring, there are always the old ones which you can turn to. Heck, I want one so bad!! .

Maybe I feel this way because I am too young and immature to understand the practical point of view, but hey nothing wrong in dreaming right?

Besides, I think we should give ourselves doses of impracticality once in a while .

[vjbox]

Voted a big No! I really believe that the gap in performance between super/ hyper cars and regular performance oriented cars have narrowed down substantially that except for the body design and visual appeal, I think there is nothing much to bother about.

Our forum favourites like the M340i has brought borderline super car performance ( hardly a second or so of difference with a super car) in an accessible package that is also practical- something we can realistically dream about and get one into possession. More importantly its maintenance and spares won't break the bank unlike Supercars.

[Kosfactor]

Since we are onto Supercars, not sports cars or race cars but Super cars the likes that are built to be the ultimate showcase of their respective OEM`s capability.

Voted Yes.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever, according to an English poet, many of them super cars are very beautiful pieces of art more than just a device for transportation.

I am not sure why so many people have voted no, I would certainly love to see them and take photographs.

[shankar.balan]

I love cars of all kinds. Supercars too.

But Ive voted ‘Sometimes’ - this is only from the perspective of Photography.

I am more than likely to take time and trouble to photograph cars based on the excitement I feel. The operative word here being ‘cars’.

And frankly I do not feel that visceral excitement with some of the new age Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston-Martins, Alfa-Romeos, Maseratis, Fiskers, Koenigseggs and Bugattis; specifically around their attempts to get into the SUV/ Crossover world, however eminently sensible such a move may be, from their perspective as manufacturers catering to the needs of the market.

[Turbojc]

Voted sometimes.

I still adore supercars. My heart beats faster every time I see a sleek, low-slung Italian stallion (or bull) trundling on our city roads. Heck, I even got myself tattooed with an image of a supercar (a McLaren F1, in case you’re wondering ). However, my interest in them has dwindled over time. Here’s why:

Affordability – Everything costs upwards of ₹4 crores. Even sports cars like the Z4, M2, and the 718 twins have become ridiculously pricey. They’ve become so expensive that most enthusiasts cannot even dream about buying a new one. And let’s not get started about pre-owned cars. There was a time where one could get a Lamborghini Gallardo for under a crore, and sports cars like the Porsche 911 for under 40 lakhs, but now, prices are nothing short of ludicrous.

Electrification – Yes, electrification has made supercars stupendously fast, no doubt, but it’s also made them much heavier and a little soulless in my opinion. I’d pick a Lamborghini Murcielago over a Rimac Nevera any day.

There aren’t as many exciting articles being written or videos being made about them these days. If you’re someone who spent the 90’s and early 2000’s reading auto magazines and watching shows like TopGear and Fifth Gear, I’m sure you’ll relate to this. The way I feel is back then, these articles and videos were structured like adventure stories, with the supercars as the protagonists. The journalists and presenters did a stellar job of narrating the story, conveying every emotion they experienced with such clarity and passion that it almost felt like I was seated beside them. These articles and videos helped shape my passion for these cars to a large extent.
However, nowadays, our ever-dwindling attention spans have made way for ultra short videos where “reviewers” only focus on only a few key aspects of a car. Print magazines are also on the decline. While I did purchase an auto magazine last month, I can’t really say the stories were as appealing. What’s more, most of it was just sponsored content. Can’t really blame them though, for they are just another victim of the times.

Age, and the wisdom that comes with it – In my teens, I used to pine for a Lamborghini. Now, in my thirties, I’d happily settle for a Mini Cooper S or a BMW M340i instead. Of course, who wouldn’t want a Lamborghini in their garage. However, I’m not going to sweat over it. I’d rather focus my efforts towards being able to purchase a nice pre-owned Cooper S in the next couple of years rather than sweating it out to be able to afford a supercar sometime in the distant future.

[Newtown]

Voted an unequivocal YES.

It amazes me to read how engineering boundaries are still malleable. Many of these path breaking technologies would one day make it to a mass market car. I see engineers like Christian von Koenigsegg & Mate Rimac remarkable in their thought process on the future of engineering. While the 0 to whatever speeds and acceleration don't interest me, braking technology certainly does.